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chard
Original Poster
34 posts
14 months
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First post so please be gentle.
For a while now I've been trying to get my first 911 which was supposed to be a 964/3.2 carrera. The problem is I just can't seem to get one which is remotely appealing. Armed with a £14/15K budget I thought I was in the right ball park to getting a good usable car but having travelled the country and looked at so many so called "immaculate" cars I've really given up on the idea.
So I've started to look at the 996 as an option. Given my budget good 3.6cc appears to be out with my range so I've been looking into trying to get a 3.4 with a m030 pack and a LSD, although I'm rather confused with reference to the LSD option as I always thought the M220 was a LSD but I've been told it's a 40% locking diff whatever that means?
Anyway, I've singled out a 1998 3.4 with 62K on the clock with every invoice and previous MOT that has at least the m030 and a locking diff? replacement clutch at 53K and NO oil leaks for £12K.
I'm I staring at a heart breaking proposition or are the horror stories more of an internet warrior crusade than the reality of owning such a car, and is £12K to steep?
Thoughts and advise very much appreciated.
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M3333
1,541 posts
83 months
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I think your budget would get you into a 3.6 late 996 if you are patient. I recently bought a 2004 996 C2 in immaculate condition with 70k on the clock for less than 15k  Dont worry too much about the engine horror stories, if you are anywhere in the North i know a brilliant speciaist who can do the IMS and RMS for £400 all in. He does not advertise, is praised highly by the local Porsche Drivers Club group. Go for it! I dont regret buying mine at all and love it everytime i drive it! Personally for me i would hold out for a later facelifted car, but the early models are just as satisfying. Good Luck.
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gd
165 posts
57 months
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Welcome aboard!
The best advice from this board is usually to get a full pre-purchase inspection, will cost about £250 but for a car of that age it's usually money well spent, and will give you some leverage in the negotiations (or peace of mind). Also, buy on condition rather than mileage or number of owners, etc.
The main things to look for are failure of the rear main seal (aka RMS) and the Intermediate Shaft Bearings. If both have been done recently then you're in luck. If the car has some mileage and is not showing signs of failure, then you may also be in luck too (they tend to fail early). Batteries are also a bit of an issue (some of these cars tend to be sat around for weeks at a time), and I'd check the brake discs for signs of rusting/warping, again quite common.
I personally wouldn't worry about the LSD unless the car was going to be a track slag, but that's your choice. Every one of these cars is special in its own way, finding the one that best fits your needs is all part of the fun.
Other than that, just do it and enjoy it. Although the 996 does occasionally get a bad rep, I've had two and they were both great cars.
Gary
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chard
Original Poster
34 posts
14 months
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LaurasOtherHalf
6,295 posts
65 months
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chard said: Well I think that looks just lovely, & at a price that fits your budget with some left over for maintenance.
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gd
165 posts
57 months
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Looks great, I love the original 996's. You could put a clear light kit on there to get rid of the orange and make it look more 'modern', but personally I like the orange on the silver and grey cars.
I do like the history file that comes with it, shows that it's been cared for. Lots of service stamps and receipts is always a good thing.
As others will no doubt say, buy on condition not mileage, so get a PPI done and if it checks out then buy the car and enjoy it. I'm sure you will, it looks great.
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bga
7,131 posts
120 months
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chard said: When I was looking there wasn't a great correlation between condition and mileage. In the end I got one with 65k miles but had driven a couple with <50k that felt worse than a nice 100k mile example that I drove..
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cmoose
18,560 posts
98 months
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M3333 said: Dont worry too much about the engine horror stories, if you are anywhere in the North i know a brilliant speciaist who can do the IMS and RMS for £400 all in. He does not advertise, is praised highly by the local Porsche Drivers Club group. With respect and without for a moment claiming that these engines are calamitous, the really scary thing on the 996 3.4 and 3.6 is the open deck bore design with thin walls that oval and crack. There's no easy or cheap fix for that, preventative or post-failure. Just something the OP needs to factor into his decision. Getting the IMS sorted doesn't solve arguably the worst issue with those particular lumps.
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M3333
1,541 posts
83 months
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cmoose said: M3333 said: Dont worry too much about the engine horror stories, if you are anywhere in the North i know a brilliant speciaist who can do the IMS and RMS for £400 all in. He does not advertise, is praised highly by the local Porsche Drivers Club group. With respect and without for a moment claiming that these engines are calamitous, the really scary thing on the 996 3.4 and 3.6 is the open deck bore design with thin walls that oval and crack. There's no easy or cheap fix for that, preventative or post-failure. Just something the OP needs to factor into his decision. Getting the IMS sorted doesn't solve arguably the worst issue with those particular lumps. Agreed, good advise i forgot to mention in my original post. Bore scoring can be another rare issue also. I have added a lower temp thermostat from Hartech to my 996 aswell as getting my indy to complete a full coolant flush. Apart from that i think it boils down to luck. Check the exhausts and signs of blue smoke, rough running etc, if in doubt get the bores checked with a boroscope at a specialist. None of these issues would put me off a good car though - worth the risk imho for the ownership satisfaction.
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stuckmojo
946 posts
57 months
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I'm 3 months into 996 ownership, and could not be happier.
my advice is buy one and drive it as much as you can. I use mine for everything. Sold the second car since there was no point in having one.
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IknowJoseph
32 posts
9 months
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stuckmojo said: I'm 3 months into 996 ownership, and could not be happier.
my advice is buy one and drive it as much as you can. I use mine for everything. Sold the second car since there was no point in having one. After previously looking at 80's cars, I think my first try at Porsche ownership is going to come as a facelifted 996. Posts like yours are very encouraging, thanks! 
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jonny996
865 posts
86 months
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For me there is something about the early 996 on ambers that just looks just right &i doubt you will get a nicer on, all for £12000, get it looked after at a good Indy and you have great car for realistic running costs.
Also as that one is in the Scottish boarders it will not have been used in chocked up city traffic,
Good luck
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chard
Original Poster
34 posts
14 months
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jonny996 said: For me there is something about the early 996 on ambers that just looks just right &i doubt you will get a nicer on, all for £12000, get it looked after at a good Indy and you have great car for realistic running costs.
Also as that one is in the Scottish boarders it will not have been used in chocked up city traffic,
Good luck Mailed the owner, sounds quite promising. It has spent most of it's life in the London area with the present owner having it for 10 months. I'm always a bit nervous about buying a car which has been owned for such a short period of time.
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cmoose
18,560 posts
98 months
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jonny996 said: For me there is something about the early 996 on ambers that just looks just right Agreed. I'd even have mine on 17s.  Not many about these days that haven't been deambered. Suspect many will be reambered as the years tick by.
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cmoose
18,560 posts
98 months
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Oh and will just add that the silver ebay 3.4 looks perfect.
Perfect mileage. Perfect spec. If it turns out to be any good on inspection, buy it!
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chard
Original Poster
34 posts
14 months
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I just read on another tread that 1998/98 996's have more engine failures than any other. Any truth in this claim?
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jonny996
865 posts
86 months
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If it was going to go bang,ni think the 14 years before would have been more risky. Any think 14 years old stands a chance of letting go, if you redline it ever where then yes it will
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chard
Original Poster
34 posts
14 months
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jonny996 said: If it was going to go bang,ni think the 14 years before would have been more risky. Any think 14 years old stands a chance of letting go, if you redline it ever where then yes it will Too old for doing that! 
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leemarkadams
638 posts
84 months
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Got a c2 myself (996), had for 2 years now and they must .be one of the performance bargains of the moment! Easy to drive everyday if required ( I only do not due to commuting 120 miles a day - else I would do) but also quick enough to have some fun too. Running costs can be kept down by doing a lot of the stuff yourself such as brakes etc.
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cmoose
18,560 posts
98 months
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jonny996 said: If it was going to go bang,ni think the 14 years before would have been more risky. Any think 14 years old stands a chance of letting go, if you redline it ever where then yes it will Well, not exactly. The bore issue only gets worse with usage. It's not like the IMS bearing where you could argue the bad ones tend to go at low miles. It's a metal fatigue thing that will affect all engines that haven't already died for some other reason. I'd also add that a borescope is nly going to spot really obvious cracks. You're not going to be able to judge how far gone the bores are re ovaling or early stage cracks. The relevance of all this for me is that with these engines, you can't buy an example that's running well and take the view that if you really look after it properly, it really shouldn't let you down, like you could with, say, a late 90s BMW straight six. It's hard to quantify, but there is a heightened risk. I think it's worth it as they are such great cars and they offer things that simply can't be had from other brands. But I think you really have to love the way they drive to justify the risk. If you just fancy something a bit sporty or you fancy the badge, I'd say you need to be very careful.
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